Posts Tagged ‘nutrients’

Food

We all know that we need to eat food to live. What’s important is the types of food that you choose to eat. You’ll need to make sure that (at least most of the time!) you choose to eat a food that is full of the nutrients so that your body gets the nutrients it needs so you can feel good throughout the whole day.

Super Foods

Super foodsare foods that are high in nutrition yet are low in calories. These super foods are foods that can help you stay healthy, lose weight, are easy to use in recipes, and are best of all – delicious! It’s important that you do your best to make healthy food choices, as well as trying to incorporate a variety of these healthy foods into your everyday diet.

List of Super Foods

(for breakfast)

Blueberries

There are lots of easy ways to add blueberries to your breakfast meal! This super food is amcheap michael kors uk perfect addition to both hot and cold cereals. Or pour a handful of blueberries on top of pancakes, waffles, and french toast. Blueberries taste fantastic on top of non-fat yogurt.

Non-Fat Yogurt

Eating non-fat yogurtis a great super food and is a great way to get a high dose of protein, as well as calcium, B-vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. Non-fat yogurt also contains probiotics, which are good bacteria that helps keep your digestive tract healthy as well as helping keep your immune system strong.

Eggs

Eggs are a consider to be a super food because it contains lots of nutrients all neatly packed in a little oval package. The versatility that eggsoffer are also one of the reason why this super food is so popular!

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a super food that although is not usually associated with a breakfast meal, makes a great addition to a variety of breakfast meals. Simply cut them up and bake them in a 420° oven for about 25 minutes. Drizzle them with olive oil and add a dash of salt while being sure to turn them once about 15 minutes in.

Berries

Berries are one of the super foods that are super easy to add to just about any breakfast meal. There are so many various types of berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries – the list goes on and on.

Egg

The incredible, edible egg. That was a big-time slogan for eggs many moons ago. I believe it came about right after there were some reports about them being high in cholesterol(which they are) and the egg industry wanted to get the word out that eggs were a healthy choice when it came to eating. Both the slogan and the tune are quite catchy, making this 30+ years old slogan one that is still quite popular.

Egg Recipes

Egg recipes are very popular! An egg is full of lots of great nutrients, of which one is protein. You can add in a little bit of tofuand spinach and you’ve got a healthy breakfast that’s full of protein! Ingredients 2 large eggs Tofu -about 2 ounces Spinach – michael kors bags outlet about 4 ounces (if leaves are large, cut up with scissors to make it easier to eat) Oil or butter for the pan Dash of salt Directions Turn on the burner to medium heat and add oil to keep the ingredients from sticking. Add the spinach and cook for a few minutes or until it starts to soften. Add the already crumbled tofu into the pan and cook for a few more minutes. If you’re new to using tofu you can experiment with cooking it a little quicker or a little longer to find out how long to cook it so that it meets your specific tastes. Scramble the eggs in a bowl and when ready, add to the tofu and spinach mixture cooking in the pan. You may need to add a little more oil or butter first so the eggs won’t stick. Stir often as eggs like to stick to the pan and will cook rather quickly.

Add-Ins

Depending on what you like, you can easily add or substitute one of more of the below high-protein ingredients into your scrambled egg recipe so you can make it exactly how you like it!. Additional High Protein Ingredients/Suggestions/Substitutes • Mushrooms • Asparagus • Kale • Tomatoes• Onions

Peanut Butter is one of the most popular foods that kids (and adults!) love to eat. Peanut Butter is full of nutrition, can be added to a variety of healthy breakfast recipes (pancakes, toast, homemade breakfast bars), is jelly’s buddy when it comes to one of the most popular sandwiches ever created, is added to quite a few candy bars for extra deliciousness, and of course is often eaten all by itself by dipping a spoon right in the jar to be enjoyed for its wonderful simplicity.

Peanut Butter Nutrition

It’s important to understand that the less refined the peanut butter, meaning the less it is processed and thus the less additional and unnecessary ingredients it contains, the better! Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain about 190 calories, provides about 6 grams of carbohydrates, about 2 grams of fiber, about 8 grams of protein, and about 25% of your daily intake of monounsaturated fats (which is good1).

Peanut Butter – Fat & Calories

Although Peanut Butter is high in calories, it offers lots of nutritional benefits. Most of the calories comes from the high amount of fat, yet the majority of these fats are monounsaturated, which is a good fat as it can help to lower your LDL (aka bad) cholesterol. The other fats are polyunsaturated, which helps to raise your HDL (aka good) cholesterol, so it’s really a win-win when it comes to the fats found in Peanut Butter. A small amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fiber (as well as other essentials) are also included in Peanut Butter.

Looking for a Peanut Butter Recipe?

Try out one or both of these super easy Peanut Butter recipes. Be sure to share the end result as well as if you altered the recipe to make it even more healthy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter cookies are easy to make and quite delicious! 1/2 heaping cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cups of quick oats 1/3 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 heaping cup of Peanut Butter 1/3 cup agave syrup 1 large egg 1 1/2 tsps vanilla Heat oven to 375°. First combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Then combine all the wet ingredients and mix them together well. Then blend the two together, once again mixing well until fully blended. Drop a tablespoon or so of the Peanut Butter cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9 – 11 minutes. TIPS: Put the dough into the refrigerator for about half an hour, which make sit easier to work with. Flatten dough with a fork for a more traditional look. Sprinkle a few small dark chocolate chips of top for extra specialness!

Peanut Butter Balls

This Peanut Butter recipe is super fun for kids to make as well as super delicious! 1 1/2 cups of quick oats 1/4 – 1/3 cup of agave syrup 2/3 cup of Peanut Butter 1/4 cup of Flax Seeds (also adds crunch, which some kids like and some don’t) 1/4 cup of raisins or chocolate chips 1/2 tsp vanilla Mix together well and chill for a couple of hours. Enjoy!!

How to Make Peanut Butter – So Simple!

Put (roasted and blanched) peanuts into a grinder. Add salt to taste. Sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil (although hydrogentated vegetable oil keeps the the Peanut Butter oils from seperating from the Peanut Butter itself, it contains trans fats, which are bad news!) are also commonly added for flavor. TIP: You don’t have to keep Peanut Butter in the refrigerator. IMPORTANT!: It is highly recommended that children under the age of two avoid eating peanut butter due to a possible allergic reaction. Therefore, recipes with peanuts should also be avoided.

Chia Seeds

So what exaclty are chia seeds? Chia seeds come from the Chia plant, which is native to both Mexico and Guatamala. High in omega-3 fatty acids as well as dietary fiber, chia seeds are a great way to add these two essential items to your everyday diet.

Chia Seeds – Nutrition

–Chia Seeds are full of nutrients! –There are about 140 calories in a 1-ounce serving of chia seeds. –Glycemic Load is very low –There are about 12 grams of carbohydrates included in a 1-ounce serving of chia seeds. –A 1-ounce serving of chia seeds can provide nearly half of your daily fiber intake!

Chia Seed – Suggestions

You can choose to add the chia seeds to your water (or your favorite drink), although know that they will become gelatinous, or you can grind them for a smoother drinking quality. Or add them to your yogurt like I do every morning for a nutritious breakfast. They fit in perfectly with my flax seeds and granola! Also, you can add them to your oatmeal or in your next batch of banana bread. All you need is about 2 – 3 tablespoons (1 ounce) to receive the many benefits derived from consuming chia seeds. Although I really don’t agree with being sneaky about food when it comes to kids being picky eaters, integrating chia seeds into pancakes, muffins, or essentially any food that your child currently eats can be quite easy to do. I only suggest this for kids who are super picky and thus not open to trying any new food. I’m sure there are many, many more ways in which you can add chia seeds to your everyday diet. Since I’ve only found out about chia a couple of months ago, I would love if you would please share some of the ways you currently use chia seeds. We’d love to hear about them!

Recipies

There are lots of tricky words in the English language. Since the word ‘recipes’ is often misspelled as recipies, I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the misspelled version so that those who are entering this misspelled word can find my website! I’m fairly sure that there are not as many options that come up when performing a search for a misspelled word, so hopefully by my using recipies people will be able to find this site. (-:

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Coming up with original, healthy breakfast recipies can be tricky, as there are lots of easy recipies out there that people tend to associate with when they begin to think of breakfast food or breakfast ideas. So what are some of the more common and simple breakfast recipes that people think of when you mention the word ‘Breakfast’? –Fruit –Yogurt –Cold Cereal, Oatmeal –Waffles, Pancakes –Eggs, Omelets –Bacon, Sausage, Ham

Breakfast Foods

I grew up eating these breakfast foods often, and really enjoyed eating them, but now that I’m 40-something my tastes have changed and thus my eating habits have changed. The foods that I now crave are healthier, which is great! The overabundance of unhealthy foods that are sold in the market today make it so easy to buy these unhealthy foods. Especially convenience foods, which are sold almost everywhere. Although these foods are indeed convenient, most of them are not healthy, making it so that many people don’t know where to begin when it comes to choosing healthy foods to incorporate into their everyday diet. Therefore, I’m hoping that my journey of finding new and healthy food recipies to eat (for breakfast) will also help you on your quest to find new and healthy foods to eat so that you can feel energized throughout the day! Because when you eat healthy foods you are giving your body the essential nutrients that it needs in order to be/stay healthy. Now, let’s take a look at those common breakfast foods from above again so that we can still eat them yet with a healthy twist, turning them into a few healthy breakfast recipies! –

Cold Cereal

There aren’t a lot of healthy cereal choices, so try to choose ones with minimal ingredients. Also, stay away from preservatives, additives, food colorings, HFCS, enriched flour, and sugars. (Yes, this eliminates most of the cold cereal choices!) –

Oatmeal

Don’t buy those prepackaged oatmeal packets that contain a super long list of ingredients! Instead, buy a box of oatmeal that contains… get ready… whole oats! Then you can simply add your own favorite (fresh and healthy) ingredients, such as fruit, granola, or a sprinkling of brown sugar. –

Waffles and Pancakes

Either buy one of the few brandsthat have a short list of ingredients or make your own! See my favorite waffle and favorite pancake recipies here (COMING SOON!!). –

Eggs, Omelets

If you’re watching your cholesterol, you can buy egg substitutes, which are pretty good. Otherwise, buy eggs that come from free-range chickens. The chickens from these brands aren’t caged up for their whole lives, which is really sad and unnecessary, so you’ll not only be supporting a great and natural way to raise chickens, eggs from happy chickens will taste so much better! –

Bacon, Sausage, Ham

Try to buy meats that contain as few preservatives as possible, i.e. the fresher, the better! Tip? Tell your butcher what you’re looking for and ask for their opinion.

Although the above aren’t really recipies but more like tips, they do provide some great guidelines that you can follow that can help you in your quest to choose healthier breakfast recipies. Be sure to pick and choose in order to use any or all of the above tips that may be helpful for you!

Vegetables

Eating vegetables are really important to staying healthy and strong. They contain a number of nutrients that are very beneficial to your health, making vegetables an important part of your everyday diet. Although buying your food local is a really great idea, it is simply not always possible. Not every city or town has access to a Farmers Market, even though they are becoming more and more popular making buying local (which equals fresh!) much easier to do. When you visit the supermarket to buy your fresh vegetables, there’s simply no telling how long ago they were picked, where they came from, and what kind of pesticides were used. When you visit your local Farmers Market, you know everything is super fresh (probably picked that very morning!), and can talk directly to the farmer who can answer each and every question you have about a particular food. Additionally, ask for a recipe or two, they will be glad to share!

Vegetables in Season

Vegetables are grown in a variety of places all over the country/world. Be sure to know when your favorite vegetables are in season so you can buy them when they are at their very best!

Vegetables in Season

January cabbages, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower February broccoli, cauliflower March broccoli, lettuce April zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce May okra, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce June corn, lettuce July cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, corn, green beans, lettuce August cucumbers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, lettuce September eggplants, pumpkins, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce October sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli, spinach, lettuce November broccoli, pumpkins, winter squash, mushrooms, spinach, sweet potatoes December broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, sweet potatoes Good to Know If you want to buy and eat a particular vegetable that is not is season, check to see if it is available in the frozen section. When foods are frozen, all their nutritional qualities are locked in, making this a great second choice when it comes to buying your favorite vegetables. Enjoy!

People who want to lose weight and people who want to preserve a healthy lifestyle should know about counting calories. But what exactly is a calorie? And why is keeping track of how many calories you need so very important? Simply put, a calorie is a way of measuring heat energy. One calorie is needed to heat one gram of water by 1°. A calorie was an engineering term until around 1960 when it was replaced by SI units and Joules. A calorie is a very small unit and so when we speak of calories we usually mean kilocalories (kcal). What you really need to know is that when we talk of food containing 325 kcal, that’s the amount of energy your body will take in. Women roughly need about 2000 calories a day and men about 2500 for a healthy body weight. Exercise should be part of your everyday activities so you can burn off any excess calorie intake. If you take in 2000 calories a day without any exercise, you are more apt to put on weight, because your body will stock any extra energy (calories) as fat. When you exercise you will burn off the fat to create the energy your body needs. If you spend all day in the office you will need fewer calories to maintain your weight. To lose weight, you shouldn’t cut out too many calories at once. Simply cut about 10% of your caloric intake out and keep track to see not only how much weight you’re losing but how you feel, as well. Remember, when you cut out calories you need to make sure you’re still getting all the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and strong! Good To Know On food and drink packaging the calories are usually noted in Kilocalories (kcal) and kilojoules (KJ) for every 100 grams. A joule is equal to 4.2 calories. When you are counting calories either for keeping a healthy body weight or for dieting, beware of food and drink that are “light”. They might have fewer calories, but they are often lacking in other nutrients that are essential for good health.